Saihate, A Story of Two
by Shinrayuki
Summary: A white lie, a fatal disease and the thorns of despair test Miku and Luka's undying friendship.


**Thank you for giving my story a chance, and hopefully reading it until the end. I have limited knowledge of the disease that is shown throughout the story, however I have experienced the death of a loved one so I apologize for any inconsistencies. This is entirely a work of fiction and any resemblance to real events is by pure coincidence. It is based on the song Saihate sung by Hatsune Miku and written by Kobayashi Onyx. All credit goes to their respective owners, I own nothing but this story. Well then, let's get to reading shall we?**

_December 31, 2010_

_1 hour until the new year,_

The scent was still there.

It was a mixture of penicillin and several harsh medicines. The monotonous drone of the heart monitor was slowly growing irregular. The curtains dividing the room were drawn, making for a small bit of privacy. Everything else was silent. The doctors and nurses that normally busied themselves observing the health monitors had left, leaving Miku and Luka alone. Luka reached out her hand and Miku received it gratefully. The younger girl wrapped her fingers around it. " Don't worry. You'll be fine now." Miku said, trying to be strong for the both of them. Luka was in tears, her voice was growing weaker by the second. "Miku. I don't want to be alone." Miku said nothing, knowing that there was no words she could say to make everything better. Miku opened her mouth and everything, including time seemed to stop and listen to her voice...

* * *

**Saihate: A Story of Two**

**_"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. ~_**

**_-Richard Bach_**

* * *

_July 1, 2010_

_6 months until the New Year._

The waiting room was cold. Miku adjusted her scarf, pulling it slightly and letting the red cloth brush against her face.

"With the AC turned up this low, no wonder patients are getting even sicker."She said to herself.

It was already at the little hours of night. Not a soul was left in the room except Miku. Even the receptionist had packed up and pulled down the glass window of the reception desk. Miku blew on her hand, watching her breath. _How long is she going to take? _ the young girl asked herself. Her neighbor and classmate Luka had promised to buy her dinner if she kept her company for her check up.

She heard Luka's soft footsteps as she slowly made her way through the dimly lit hallway. Miku met her friend halfway and tugged her sleeve.

"Come on, if we don't hurry we won't make it to the next train if we get dinner." Miku said with a smile.

Luka smiled back weakly and hugged her friend closer. "You're right. We don't really have much time." Her smile grew a little as she rustled the other girl's hair.

Miku brushed off her arm playfully. "Stop it, it takes me forever to fix." The younger girl fixed her teal eyes on Luka. " Well, did the doctor say anything?"

Luka thought for a second, then made a sour expression. "They said I should stop eating so much tuna, its making me fat."

Miku laughed. "Too bad for you then, since we're going for sushi tonight!"

Luka suddenly pulled the younger girl closer to her body. Miku was a bit startled by her sudden embrace. "Thank you for coming with me today. I don't know what I would've done without you."Luka softly whispered into her ear.

"Umm... It's nothing, you're paying for the food today anyway!" Miku muttered as she blushed nervously, completely oblivious to the true meaning of Luka's words.

Luka broke off the embrace, but still held on to Miku's hand. She half-walked half-ran through the hospital hallway, dragging her friend with her. As they left, Miku thought she saw a forlorn expression that lingered for a brief moment on Luka's face. The older girl seemed far off and distant that night.

* * *

_August 5, 2010_

_4 months and 26 days until the new year_

Miku traced her fingers on the wooden carvings that decorated its surface as she opened the wooden door with a small push. Luka had always kept the door open just in case Miku wanted to drop by. The door creaked slowly and let in a crack of light in the dark room. The lights were off and the windows were shut, just as they had been for the past few weeks. Miku put down the grocery bags that she was carrying by the door and headed to Luka's room. She placed another red flower on a shelf along with the others that she had given Luka long before. She had kept them alive and well. They were a special kind that Miku had gathered herself on her last trip to visit her parents so Miku didn't think that they would be able to survive for so long. They had such a sweet scent, but there was a familiar scent mixed in that she couldn't put her finger on.

Hearing her approach, Luka got up from her bed and went to meet her when the teal-haired girl entered her room. "I bought groceries for you." MIku said handing the other girl store-bought sushi. "Thanks, Miku. I'll pay you back tommorow."Luka said as she reached for the lights. Although the lights turned on, they barely brought any light to the room.

"You should change the lightbulb, it's too dim to see anything."Miku suggested.

The only light that reached Luka's room was a dim lightbulb and rays of light that penetrated through a small breach in the window shutters. Miku couldn't make out the expression on Luka's face, but for some reason, she felt that she was overjoyed at her arrival. It was in the small gestures that Luka made, the extra skip in her step and the small movements of her hands.

"Why do you keep locking yourself up in your room, Luka?" Miku asked out of the blue. She knew that if it was serious and that Luka hadn't told her about it already, then it must be a sensitive matter. Luka had kept herself hidden at home and even skipped school. Luka had no close relatives nearby, so Miku was the only one that ever visits her house. The young girl took it upon herself to take care of Luka whenever she could.

"..."Luka kept silent for a while, then sat on her bed. "I'd really rather not talk about it right now Miku..."Luka said almost in a whisper.

Miku nodded. She would wait until the time was right.

"I can wait until you're ready. I'll be right back I left something back at the door ." Miku told Luka. Miku left the room and walked quietly down the stairs. "I think I left it here..."She mumbled as she rummaged through the grocery bags that she had left before. "Ah, here it is!"

Miku entered Luka's room once more and pulled up a small chair near the lightbulb. "What are you doing?"Luka asked.

"Changing the lightbulb."Miku replied as she climbed on top of the chair.

"You really don't need to... I can see just fine. I'd actually rather not have it too bright."Luka said with a bit of worry. Luka's protests stopped as Miku twisted the lightbulb a final time. "Alright. I'm done!"Miku said. As she finished the job, Miku heard a thump and looked over at Luka's direction.

Luka was on the floor.

Miku scrambled to her and gently shook Luka by the shoulders. "Luka? Luka?! What's wrong?" Panic struck Miku as she heard no response. After a few moments Miku noticed the drastic change in Luka. She felt much thinner and more frail. She flipped to open the light switch and looked upon her friend with shock. She was noticeably pale white as marble. Miku unbuttoned Luka the first two buttons of Luka's light pink pajamas and held her ear to Luka's chest to hear her heartbeat. Luka's bare skin felt cold, not as if she had been in a refrigerator, but it struck Miku more as if she had been dead. Miku breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Luka's small pained breaths.

"Luka..."Miku whispered in a low breath.

* * *

_August 6, 2010_

_4 months and 5 days until the new year_

Miku leaned on the white-washed wall as she sat waiting on a small bench in the emergency room. She began to nod off from drowsiness until she was approached by a young man who wore a long white coat.

"Are you here for Megurine Luka?"He asked as he readjusted his thin glasses.

Miku nodded, but said nothing in reply.

The doctor flipped through his clipboard and left it at a page marked by a small pink tab. "Then I think that you deserve to know what is going on then." He looked through the document and began reading,

"The patient is an 18 year old girl suffering a severe case of aplastic amenia. It occurs when the bone marrow does not create enough red blood cells. Symptoms of aplastic anemia include shortness of breath, paleness, light headedness, dizziness and fainting." He lifted his eyes from the file and fixed them on Miku.

" Well, that's nothing new, she's been getting blood transfusions from this hospital for around a month now. I recall seeing you with her on a few occasions. "The doctor pushed up his glasses.

Luka had taken precautions to prevent Miku from noticing her illness. Miku sighed. That was probably why Luka had kept her lights dim, so that Miku wouldn't be able to see her well enough to tell.

The doctor continued talking "She had fainted today because she missed a scheduled blood transfusion while she was waiting for a close friend to visit. We had actually advised her to stay at the hospital, but she reasoned that she needed to take care of a relative at home. Maybe you could convince her to change her mind. " He took out a small card and scribbled his name and number onto it. and handed it to Miku. "That is all that I needed to say, you can come in the room now. Here is my contact info if you need me. You could also just ask for Kaito in the front desk" He waved goodbye at her as he began walking away.

Miku was shaken by all that she had learned. There was so many questions she had for Luka and so many things that she had wanted to say to comfort her. What Miku wanted most was to hold her friend in her arms, as if she would never let go and just tell her that it would be all right.

Miku opened the door and saw Luka staring out an open window. She seemed much healthier now, probably due to a blood transfusion. She wore a white hospital gown, which was as white as the bedsheets that loosely covered half her body. Luka smiled sweetly as Miku came near.

"Thanks for bringing me to the hospital Miku." Luka said as she patted Miku's head gently. Miku gave back a weak smile "Don't worry about it. Just get better soon okay?"Miku said as she reached for Luka's hand. She could feel Luka's gentle warmth again. It made her want to hold her closer.

Luka looked at Miku nervously "They said that it was just fatigue, I'll be out soon. Did the doctor tell you anything?"

Miku closed the distance between the both of them and held Luka close so that she wouldn't be able to see her face as she fought back her tears.

"No. He didn't tell me anything."

* * *

_August 31, 2010_

_2 months until the new year_

Miku eagerly ran to Luka's house, holding another bouquet of freshly picked red flowers. She had inserted a special note onto it herself. Today was a special day. She had left on a trip to visit her parents and haven't seen Luka in a while so she rushed to find her friend. She twisted the small metal knob halfway.

The door was locked.

Luka never locked the house unless she left and she hasn't left the house for the past few months for anything other than appointments. There was no reason for her to leave today, she didn't have any scheduled appointments. Worry began to fill Miku's mind. She immediately fished for her spare key and unlocked the door. Miku turned on all of the lights with fear. She was afraid that she would find what she was looking for, Luka passed out on the floor. It was the reason she had the spare key made in secret.

There was no sight of Luka anywhere. Miku's phone began to ring in her pocket.

Miku answered

"Hello?"

A young girl's voice came from the other line. "Hello? Miku? This is Gumi. I found Luka sleeping on the park bench, can you come pick her up?"

* * *

Miku saw her. It was hard for her to not notice the sight of Luka's vibrant long hair. Her head was leaning to the right as she sat sleeping. She looked as if she was at peace, listening to the birds chirping around her. A soft breeze brushed against Luka's face, which made an innocent smile come up on her face.

"Miku..."She mumbled in her sleep.

Miku's trance was broken by the sound of Gumi's footsteps. "She's been like that for a while. She looks so cute while she's sleeping so let's talk over there."Gumi pointed to another bench. Miku nodded and put down the bouquet of flowers that she had been holding next to Luka.

"I found her while I was walking to the research center I volunteer at. You should take better care of her."Gumi scolded. "Since you're the only one she ever depends on."

Miku noticed a cart that Gumi had been pulling. It was filled with flowers exactly like the kind she always gave Luka. They were carefully covered with a thin plastic. "What pretty flowers." Miku said, desperate to change the subject. She reached to touch one and was abruptly stopped by Gumi. "Don't. Those are for research. The area I got it from is rich in chemicals, so those are actually tainted. I heard they smell nice though, the sweet smell masks the smell of benzene."Gumi said nonchalantly.

"Benzene?" Miku's eyes widened.

"Yeah, you know, it's a kind of gasoline I think. The kind that damages blood cells, causes cancer, aplastic anemia, Leukemi-"

"I have to go." Miku interrupted before Gumi could finish. She ran to where Luka was and saw her fully awake with a pleasant look on her face. Luka reached into her coat pocket and placed an elegant and breath-takingly beautiful sculpture of a crystal piano in Miku's hands. Luka's fingers felt as cold as the crystal and she looked slightly tired and pained, despite her smile.

"Why did you go outside?"Miku asked with her voice getting weaker by the second.

Luka picked up the bouquet of flowers that Miku had laid down earlier and inhaled deeply. "Thanks for the flowers Miku"Luka paused.

"and happy birthday."

Miku fell to her knees, broke down, and cried. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry.I didn't mean to do this!"Miku said sobbing. "I thought they were ordinary flowers... I didn't know I was poisoning you."

Luka brushed off Miku's tears with a single finger. She dropped the bouquet, letting the petals scatter all over the floor. "It's alright Miku. I knew. I knew about it the whole time. It isn't your fault. I had the disease before you had started giving them to me."

Miku sniffled, her face still wet with tears. "You're lying again."

Luka hugged her friend. "Let me off the hook this time. After all, I think this is the last time I'll be able to enjoy the outside. You're the only one I'm living for anyway..."Luka said as her voice began to trail off.

Miku felt Luka's weight shift onto her.

* * *

November 23,

1 month and 8 days from the new year

Miku looked at Luka through the glass. Her condition had escalated to the point where her body almost stopped making red blood cells completely. Luka was peacefully sleeping with her long hair scattered around her. Miku entered silently and brushed away Luka's bangs gently to get a better look at her face. Other than the paleness of her skin, she looked fine. No. She looked flawless, like an angel in human form. Miku kissed Luka's forehead and exited the room.

Kaito blocked her path. The two had kept in touch, discussing Luka's slowly deteriorating condition. He held signed paperwork in his hand.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked, tapping on the paper with his index finger. Miku smiled, and with a look of complete sincerity replied.

"Yes."

* * *

_December 31,_

_1 hour until New Year's Eve_

Luka felt tired. She felt a heavy weight suffocating her, but she also felt something warm coursing through her body. The drone of the heart monitor still persisted. She lifted up her eyelids and all she saw was a blur at first. After a few minutes she began to get familiar with her surroundings. She was at a room... A hospital room. She looked at the chair next to her, where Miku usually sat.

There was no one there.

"Miku?"She called.

"I'm here."

She heard a voice near her. A bed had been pushed next to her, with Miku in it looking frail and exhausted.

"...Why? Why are you here?"Luka asked as if she had been tricked.

Miku let out a weak, troubled laugh. "The operation was a success. You''ll be able to live a normal life soon."

"But... who? who donated?" Suddenly Luka noticed a blood pack hanging next to Miku. "No... you?"

Miku nodded weakly. "They said that my body may not be handle it, but they were wrong right?"She smiled. "I just need to sleep for a moment, then maybe the smell of medicine might go away..."

Luka watched as Miku was beginning to closer her eyes. "No! Miku! Stay with me!"She pleaded.

The scent was still there.

It was a mixture of penicillin and several harsh medicines. The monotonous drone of the heart monitor was slowly growing irregular. The curtains dividing the room were drawn, making for a small bit of privacy. Everything else was silent. The doctors and nurses that normally busied themselves observing the health monitors had left, leaving Miku and Luka alone. Luka reached out her hand and Miku received it gratefully. The younger girl wrapped her fingers around it. " Don't worry. You'll be fine now." Miku said, trying to be strong for the both of them. Luka was in tears, her voice was growing weaker by the second. "Miku. I don't want to be alone." Miku said nothing, knowing that there was no words she could say to make everything better. Miku opened her mouth and everything, including time seemed to stop and listen to her voice...

_Mukou wa donna tokoro nan darou ne?_

_(What kind of place will it be on the other side?)_

_Buji ni tsuitara tayori demo hoshii yo_

_(When you arrive safely, I want at least a letter)_

_Tobira wo hiraite anata e to mukau anata e_

_(The door is opening, to you who are heading far beyond)_

_Kono utagoe to inori ga todokeba ii naa_

_(It will be good if this singing voice and prayers should reach you)_

_Kumo hitotsunai you na nukeru hodo seiten no kyou wa_

_(Like there's not a single cloud, the extent of the fine weather of today comes out)_

_Kanashii kurai ni owakare biyori de_

_(It's almost sad; it's the weather for parting)_

_Arifureta jinsei wo akaku iro tsukeru you na_

_(An ordinary life that seems to be attached with crimson )_

_Taoyaka na koi deshita taoyaka na koi deshita_

_(It was a graceful love, was a graceful love )_

_Sayonara_

_(Farewell)_

_Mata itsu no hi ni ka deaeru to shinjiraretara_

_(And then someday when we can believe that we can meet)_

_Kore kara no hibi mo kawarazu yari sugoseru ne_

_(From this day and on, without change we can move on)_

_Tobira ga shimareba kono mama hanarebanare da_

_(If the door closes, we'll get used to being apart )_

_Anata no kemuri wa kumo to nari ame ni naru yo_

_(The smoke of you will become the cloud that becomes the rain)_

_Arifureta jinsei wo akaku iro tsukeru you na_

_(An ordinary life that seems to be attached with crimson )_

_Taoyaka na koi deshita taoyaka na koi deshita_

_(It was a graceful love, was a graceful love)_

_Sayonara_

_(Farewell)_

Tears welled up in Luka's eyes as she heard Miku singing. Even the drone of the heart monitor seemed inaudible to her. She had no words, but she sang along near the end. She strained her throat, forcing the words to exit her mouth.

After the song, Miku didn't make another sound. Luka felt Miku's small hand get heavier on hers. Luka wrapped her own hand around it tightly.

"You lied too..."She whispered, letting the tears overflow.

Doctors and nurses ran in, attempting to revive Miku.

Luka paid no attention to them. It was only the two of them that existed at this moment.

_Taoyaka na koi deshita taoyaka na koi deshita _  
_(It was a graceful love, was a graceful love)_  
_Sayonara _  
_(Farewell)_

She sang softly, never letting go of Miku's hand.

**End- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**Not sure if I'll write a sequel explaining how Luka feels after the story, but I hope you guys enjoyed it. **  
**Lyrics for the song_ Saihate_ was taken from Anime lyrics dot com.**


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